


Blue Skies

by Uchiha_Blood



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 06:32:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4993900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uchiha_Blood/pseuds/Uchiha_Blood





	Blue Skies

"Sas'ke?"

"Mmnn?"

"Where are we?"

Sasuke sighed, slowly sitting up. The back of his head ached, and when he felt the source of the pain, his hand came away wet with blood. It was dark, but if he squinted hard enough he could see a little of his surroundings. It seemed to be a cave of some sort, but he couldn't tell where the faint light was coming from. He guessed there were a number of small cracks in the rock letting the light through.

"I don't know," he lied. It wasn't entirely a lie, for he would be unable to find their location on a map if he had one.

"Are we trapped? Is there a way out?"

"I don't know. Just give me a minute." 

He felt around for a stick or bone on the floor of the cave, and soon found what had likely once been a deer's femur. Good enough. Then, he removed his shirt and tore it into strips, wrapping them around one end of the bone and tying them into place. Holding it still between his knees, he let loose a fireball that nearly blinded Naruto as the torch was lit.

"Whoa, dude, warn me next time, okay?" Naruto complained, rubbing his eyes. As he did so, Sasuke could see that he, too, had been clubbed over the head with something. 

"I'm just trying to get us out of here. Come on," he replied, offering a hand as he swept the makeshift torch about in order to identify possible exits. 

Yanking Naruto to his feet, he scanned the small cavern. There seemed to be two potential exits. On the far side of the room, there was a very small tunnel that seemed to lead farther into the ground, and about twenty feet up, there was a large hole in the ceiling. Only Naruto, scrawny as he was, would be able to wiggle into the tunnel, and on top of that, he might get stuck. 

"Damn," Sasuke muttered. He'd been minding his own business, meditating near a small stream, when all of a sudden, Naruto had run up to him, out of breath and yelling something about being chased. The next thing he knew, he was stuck in a cave with this idiot, and there was no way out. He'd thought that by leaving Konoha, he wouldn't be dragged into the blond's idiocy. He had been very, very wrong.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault we're gonna die in here," Naruto whispered, voice trembling as he spoke. His sharp nails dug into Sasuke's palm.

"It's your fault we're in here, yes, but we are not going to die in here. There has to be a way out."

"But how? The cave walls are all smooth! There's no way to climb out!"

"Climb out?" Sasuke repeated breathlessly, staring up at the ceiling above them. "That's it! Naruto, you're not such an idiot after all!"

"Wait, what? Huh?!"

Sasuke said nothing, simply handing him the torch. He untied his rope belt and estimated the length compared to the height of the ceiling above. It should work. Naruto, however, was completely lost.

"Dude, slow down! I'm stupid, remember? You gotta explain this to me, man."

"Ah. Right. You make shadow clones and get up there with this rope, then secure it and let it down so I can climb up. Simple enough for you?"

"What if the guy who ditched us here is still up there? Or some wild animal?"

"Do you want to get out of here or not?"

"Well, yes, but--"

"Then that's a risk you'll have to take."

"Okay..."

Ram. Snake. Tiger.

Several Narutos appeared, formed a pyramid of Narutos, and the original Naruto handed back the torch and took the rope. He draped it around his neck, took a deep breath, and scrambled up the backs of the other Narutos until he reached the top. His shadow clones soon disappeared after he climbed up over the ledge and disappeared as well. Sasuke was alone. 

He couldn't hear sounds of fighting or terrified screaming, so it wasn't likely that Naruto had been captured or attacked. He waited another thirty seconds. Nothing. There was no sign of him. Damned brat had tricked him, abandoned him. Just like... Just like his brother. 

Sasuke groaned, cursing under his breath as he sank to the floor. He let the torch drop and fizzle out on the damp stone floors. There was no point in being able to see the walls of his cold, empty grave now. Before, at least, he had had some semblance of hope with Naruto there. Now, there was nothing. Not even anger or resentment. Only acceptance of this, his deserved fate. 

Suddenly, about ten minutes after Naruto had disappeared out of sight, he felt something smack his shoulder before hitting the ground in front of him. Could it be? He reached out in front of him, feeling for the dangling rope he prayed would be there. It was. 

He immediately stood and began to climb. Much to his surprise, the rope began to lift him up and out of the cave. Sasuke clung tightly to the rope as it pulled him up, ignoring the burning sensation in his hands as he began to lose his grip. Fortunately, before he ran out of rope to slide down, he was grabbed under the arms and hoisted onto solid ground. The strong hands held him steady as he regained his balance, guiding him out into the sunlight. He blinked, squinting at the sudden brightness. 

Still unable to see his rescuer and quite frankly, too exhausted and sore to care, he allowed himself to be laid out on a blanket and his wounds attended to. Only once his hands and head wound were bandaged did he bother to open his eyes again. To his right on a second blanket lay Naruto, patched up and sound asleep. At first, Sasuke wondered if he might be dead, but the steady rise and fall of his chest reassured him that the blond fool was still alive. 

Slowly and painfully turning his head, he saw an all-too-familar face that broke into a gentle smile upon seeing him open his eyes. It was Itachi.

"Before you attack me, may I explain?"

"Explain what?" Sasuke snapped, sitting bolt upright, about to attack when the wave of pain hit him. "Gah!"

"Easy, easy," Itachi whispered, helping him lie down again. "Now, let me explain why I am here. I was sitting near the mouth of the cave, meditating, when suddenly your friend Naruto comes running up to me and tells me you're stuck down in that cave, then promptly blacks out. I bandaged his wounds immediately and took the rope you gave him and pulled you out."

"What, do you expect me to forgive you now?"

"No, of course not. I just want you to know that everything I have ever done I did to protect you. Every day, I regret the day I hurt you most, and every day I pray that you will be able to find happiness again someday."

Sasuke said nothing, staring up at the cloudless blue sky. The sky reminded him of something. No, someone. His head throbbed painfully, but still, he knew. 

"I think I already have," he whispered.

Itachi nodded. He understood. "Good. I'll leave you here with him, then. Goodbye, brother," he said, and walked off into the nearby forest without another word.

"Goodbye, Itachi," Sasuke murmured, the gentle breeze and warm sunshine lulling him to sleep.

"Naruto! Are you okay?" a familiar female voice exclaimed, followed by the sounds of three pairs of feet hurrying across loose rocks. It was Sakura, followed by Kakashi and whoever had replaced him, and by the sound of her voice, she was terrified. "Sasuke?! Oh my god, what happened?"

"Idiot got us trapped in a cave, I got us out, and someone else helped us, by the looks of it," he replied vaguely, hoping that she would blame his head wound for any supposed lapses in memory.

"Did you see who it was?"

"No." Now that was a bold faced lie, but Sakura didn't seem to notice.

"Well, whoever it was must have had some medical training! These bandages should hold until we get you back to Konoha! Unless you'd rather we drop you off somewhere else?" 

Sasuke thought for a moment. He knew what he had to do.

"Konoha's fine. Make sure you take care of Naruto first. He's in worse shape than I am."


End file.
